In Pailin Province, Cambodia, a 36-year-old Chinese man lost his life over $20,000. The case, which occurred two months ago, has resurfaced today.
On the evening of August 15th, in Pailin Province, Cambodia, the owner of a local telecom fraud company brought a 36-year-old Chinese man, Zhou Chunhua, to the Pailin Provincial Gendarmerie headquarters to report a theft of company property and requested legal action against Zhou.
That night, an official from the Pailin Provincial Gendarmerie called Zhou Chunhua's Cambodian wife, asking her to bring $20,000 to resolve the matter. Due to the absence of a translator that night, the gendarmerie detained Zhou Chunhua overnight at the headquarters.
After investigation, the Pailin Provincial Gendarmerie determined that Zhou Chunhua was involved in a financial dispute with his company, which was a civil matter. Consequently, they refused to handle the case and later contacted his company to take him back.
Shortly after being taken back by his company, Zhou Chunhua died.
According to Cambodian media reports, Zhou Chunhua was declared dead shortly after returning to his original company. Media-released photos showed that he had multiple injuries, indicating he might have suffered severe torture before his death.
However, the local police later reported that the cause of death was asphyxiation and that he had not been subjected to torture.
The case, which occurred over two months ago, was initially considered closed. However, due to continuous appeals and media exposure by Zhou's Cambodian wife, the case has gained attention again in the past two days.
In response to the case, today, the National Gendarmerie of Cambodia clarified that Zhou Chunhua had not been subjected to torture either upon his arrival at the Pailin Provincial Gendarmerie headquarters or when he was handed over to his company the following day, and there were no injuries on his body.
Additionally, the National Gendarmerie of Cambodia stated that Commander Shao Sukha has ordered the formation of an investigative team to look into the case.
